By Associated Press - Tuesday, September 8, 2020

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - The interim Burlington police chief who has been on leave to care for her sick husband informed the city that she will not be returning to the job because of his health and actions of the City Council.

“The main reason I will not return is because I believe too many members of the current City Council are more interested in social activism than good governance,” Jennifer Morrison told Mayor Miro Weinberger in a letter. Morrison called the City Council’s decision to reduce the police force by 30% “unconscionable.”

The announcement comes amid nearly two weeks of protests in Burlington with activists calling for the firing of three officers accused of using excessive force.

The city is facing two federal lawsuits over the incidents that accuse police officers of excessive force and brutality against two Black men in separate episodes outside bars in September 2018. One officer was suspended. Deputy Chief Matthew Sullivan has said prosecutors have already found that the officers did nothing wrong.

Morrison took over the department in January after former Chief Brandon del Pozo resigned over using a fake social media to heckle a critic and the officer serving as acting chief revealed that she, too, had used a fake account.

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